Saturday, May 15, 2010

Buffalo Poo

For our 29th wedding anniversary,  I requested from my dear Ted a pickup load of well aged, well rotted manure for the garden.  A few weeks ago we went to the source. We have a rancher friend who trains horses and has some buffalo.  So, I am the happy recipient of a load of well-aged, 2 year old, no smell, buffalo and horse manure.  I have been happily applying this as a top dressing in my garden. I got a kick out of Jim Grobles comment on my blog that buffalo manure to him was as exotic a “zoo poo”. His comments gave me the idea for this post. Here in the Black Hills of South Dakota we are familiar with Bison or what we call buffalo.    Wind Cave National Park, where the deer and the buffalo roam, is only about 10 quiet miles away from where we live.  The sky is clear as you see.  South Dakota is rated as the state with the cleanest air.  Yup, not much to muck it up. The buffalo seem so calm, but check out this link  about the dangerous nature of the buffalo.
Buffalo are Dangeous
big buffalo
This one is dropping his “winter coat”. The hair on his forehead in the winter can be up to 16” long.  They can stand with their faces heading into a snow storm.
buffalo, shedding their winter coat
In 1800 there were 40 million bison roaming free, by 1883  there was no wild bison roaming free. Thanks to a few conservationist some were preserved. These buffalo are descendants of those few hundred bison that were saved.  The park has herds of healthy buffalo.
Two Heads are better than one-Buffalo
Now for a picture of what was blooming yesterday in my Dakota Garden.
buffalo, the birds, and VA 016
It still is very early spring here. The lilacs, which are the herald of the planting season are still waiting to open. The yew in the background always comes out of winter with  bit of “freezer burn” but later greens up.

24 comments:

  1. When I was a child, our backyard neighbor had a load of manure (the raw, smelly kind) for the garden delivered every year on Mother's Day. My mother always commented sarcastically, "Here's Addie's Mother's Day present!" When I visit my mother this week, I'll have to tell her that you *asked* for manure for your anniversary. LOL -Jean

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  2. I'm here! I'll be sure to update my links to your new blog page. I'm glad I didn't "lose" you ;-)

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  3. Hi Jean, your mother will laugh! I wanted well composted manure, not stinky stuff. Thanks for the follow! I made sure to get your link added.

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  4. Hi Annie - Thank you so much for the follow. Yes, I am glad not to lose my tomatoe growing buddy.

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  5. Sounds like a perfect anniversary gift for a gardener! Lucky you to have a good source for it too. I've only seen Buffalo here on ranches where they have "exotic" animals :)

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  6. Happy Anniversary and what a wonderful gift. Have fun spreading that gold around the garden. Take care:)

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  7. Found you. Thanks for the shout out. Only a gardener understands the act of love a truck load of any "poo" is. I'll find you in Blotanical. jim

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  8. Hi Jim, thanks. You're right non-gardeners get a real funny look about manure :)

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  9. Hi Gloria - I like your term freezer burn very much - I've one little conifer suffering on one side. I wonder since you are used to that kind of thing in your area does the evergreen recover or does it always stay that orangy colour?


    I would love to get black gold like that for any birthday or anniversary. Good on Ted for agreeing to it.

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  10. Hi, Gloria;
    Aged horse poo is the secret ingredient in my gardens, too. I can attest to that buffalo info. I did a backcountry horse trip through Hell's Canyon near Rushmore. We rode into a large meadow and a mean buffalo went after us! Good thing scared horses know how to boogie! :D It is shocking to me how fast those big bruisers can run.

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  11. Good for you on getting the buffalo poo! Your garden will be grateful, I'm sure. I enjoyed the buffalo pics. As for your new blog, I like the name change. There was nothing wrong with the old one, but the new one gives a sense of your location.

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  12. Yes, Catherine they are very near. Read Kate's comment below about her experience with those critters!

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  13. Garden of Thread and Deb - Thank you - Yes - It is great to have this form of compost.

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  14. Rosie - yes, that yew always gets the "freezer burn" and soon get's over it.

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  15. Kate, Wow! did anyone get a video of the buffalo chasing you guys! They are fast and tempermental.

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  16. A very novel...and yet very practical gift for your anniversary! I love how easy us gardeners are to shop for :P

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  17. Lucky you, Gloria, to get a truckload of manure. What a lot of work it must be to move your blog.

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  18. Gloria...I found you! :) Happy Anniversary! And I just read the previous post re. pina colada cheesecake...now you're talking!!

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  19. Hi Gloria, Happy Anniversary. Only gardeners understand the allure of a load of crap! Kudos to hubby!

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  20. Melanie, yes a truckload of manure is so good - Your trip sounds wonderful!

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  21. Kimberly, yes that cheesecake is so yummy - Let me know what you think -And, it is so easy if you have a good blender.

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  22. Grace, You silver tongue girl, you! Love it!

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  23. We actually have buffalo up here...though I have never requested a truckload of doo as an anniversary gift. I'll have to write that one down for next year;)

    My tulips are still in bud and I'm wondering what color they are as I seem to have forgotten.

    Christine in Alaska

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